Monday, February 23, 2015

Without wanting to look horribly lazy or disgusting, I’ve put together my list of beauty things I don’t have time for! We’ve all got some things we either don’t understand or don’t want to bother doing when it comes to make up, skincare and haircare. I thought it would be funny to write down all the things I never bother with. What are yours? If you’ve written a similar post, I’d love to see it! Leave me a comment in the section below!

Washing my makeup brushes

Don’t make me feel gross here! I just really lack the time and motivation to wash my makeup brushes every time I should. I actually usually to resort to buying new makeup brushes when I run out of clean ones! Ok, well, it’s not often that bad, but I do leave it a good three or four weeks between washes. I know, it’s so gross and there’s bacteria and it clogs all the hairs up and it ends up making your makeup look rubbish. It usually takes me about 45 minutes to clean all of my brushes, and I just hate having to set aside a day where I can’t wear makeup because my brushes are drying out. A first world problem if I ever saw one!

Accessorising

I’m not 100% sure this counts as a beauty thing I don’t have time for, but it’s definitely something I can’t compute. I ALWAYS see girls walking around with their perfectly matched jewellery and bags and hats and bandanas and earrings and watches and nail polish etc etc. For some reason, my brain just doesn’t work when it comes to figuring out what looks good together and what doesn’t. I don’t even buy jewellery, and I only have one bag; a leather backpack which goes with everything anyway. When I get ready to go out, putting a different necklace on doesn’t even come into my brain! The extent of my accessorising is choosing which tartan scarf I’ll be wearing that day, but I’m fine with that.

Using highlighting products

Don’t get me wrong, I BUY highlighting products, and I keep them neatly displayed in my drawers, but I literally never reach for them. I’m not sure why, because I do like the effect they have. They just seem like a bit of a faff and some extra unnecessary makeup to stick on your face. Highlighting does seem a bit OTT for every day use, too, and doesn’t really fit in with my grunge, ‘undone’ look I go for sometimes.

Plucking my eyebrows

As a beauty blogger and YouTuber, I see a lot of girls creating a huge flap about eyebrows. They’ve suddenly become the most important part of your looks, and I just can’t get into the hype at all. My eyebrows are pretty thick and long; there’s not much I can do to them without sitting in front of the mirror for ages. I’ve had them plucked and shaped before, but I couldn’t get used to it and I thought my face looked so bare, so now I just leave them for months and let my step mum attack them when she feels the need to! Bushy, unkempt eyebrows are so vogue right now anyway, ha!

Moisturising

This goes for both my body and my face. I know there can’t be much more of a great feeling than getting out of the shower, moisturising your whole body in some deeply nourishing cocoa buttery goodness and getting into bed, but I don’t tend to ever bother. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I moisturised my body. Ever. My skin is naturally quite oily and well nourished; I don’t have any dry patches or scaly bits, which I’m really grateful for. It just means I don’t ever feel the need to slather on the moisturiser because I don’t feel like it helps. As for my face, I just use my 3 step anti blemish system by La Roche Posay (Link to review) and there’s not a moisturiser included in that.

This post was inspired by Katie’s World of Beauty; I absolutely adored her post and couldn’t wait to write all mine! What are your beauty things you don’t have time for? Are any of ours the same?

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Oh TRIANGL, when will you stop being so tantalising and irresistible? My previous Triangl bikini review has been one of my most popular posts (link), which was on the California Coral Chloe bikini. I basically lived in that bikini over the summer, so naturally I decided I needed another one. Their bikinis are so beautiful; they’re clean, streamlined, flattering and supportive. They are made of neoprene so they’re awesome for being in the water, they hold their shape perfectly and while they do take a little bit of TLC, they’re undoubtedly the most popular bikini brand among bloggers right now.

This time I decided on the Milly Indiana Ice bikini, a moulded top with the signature black seams and the usual bikini briefs. This bikini is in ‘optic white’, a brilliant, perfect white which I chose to make myself look a bit more tanned (what with me being as pale as a vampire most of the time) and to contrast with the black stitching for a bold impact. Ahhhhh, how I fall in love every time I see it!

The bikini cost me £75 on the website for shipping included, but after it arrived I received a tax invoice for an additional £23 (not ideal), so it has turned out to be the most ridiculously expensive item in my wardrobe at the moment. This aside, I am in love with it. The order process is great; you can chat to an online sales service provider to ask for help with sizing, and you can select a top and a bottom in separate sizes. I ordered the xxs top which fits my 34A chest perfectly, and the bottoms in s because I do have quite a sizeable booty for my size. The bottoms hug my body and hold everything in (no risk of them falling down at all) and the top almost provides a push-up bra effect, making my boobs look a bit bigger and they feel very supported.

They shipped the day after I paid, and came to my door about a week after that. I was really impressed with the service they give; you can check where in the world the parcel is and they’re helpful with telling you when your parcel is due to arrive so you can arrange to be in. It arrived in a huge rectangular box with TRIANGL’s logo on the front, and each piece inside was contained in it’s own plastic bag. I was pretty disappointed that this bikini doesn’t come with a bag like my other one did, because I found that so handy and I’ve been using that as my beach bag for over a year now, but the box has actually worked out to be an awesome storage box for both bikinis to keep them flat and clean.

The neoprene does tend to mark and, unless it is left flat, it can become folded over and creased. I stuffed my old TRIANGL bikini in its bag and left it in there for a while, and when I removed it from the bag, I had to iron it out really carefully. These bikinis must be hand washed only, and must be protected with another item when ironing out marks. All in all, care is pretty easy if you just rinse out the pieces after you’ve been swimming and hang it somewhere to dry off! I won’t be making the same mistakes with this pure white number as I did with the California Coral bikini!

All in all, this bikini is my favourite of my TRIANGL mini collection; it’s a much more flattering shape for smaller chested girls than the triangl style tie-up top. Plus, the colour makes me feel bronzed and goddess like rather than a pale, washed out ghoul! Yes, it is beyond pricey, and I sometimes can’t even believe I’ve spend that kind of money on a bikini when I live in grey old england, but when I put it on I fall in love all over again. These bikinis are perfect examples of ‘you get what you pay for’ and they’re such incredible quality; so sturdy and so thick. They’re my ultimate beach accessory. If you’ve reviewed a TRIANGL Bikini, I’d love to read your experience with it! Leave me a comment with a link below so I can check it out.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

II’m a self confessed liquid eyeliner fiend. If there’s one thing I know, it’s black liquid eyeliner and my favourite form is definitely the felt tip pen. I’ve got a collection of probably ten or fifteen of these pen style felt eyeliners, and I’ve tried and tested the cheapest to the more expensive end of the spectrum. Soap and Glory, who have been releasing more and more makeup products over the past year, have put their SuperCat liner on the market which has taken the bloggersphere by storm! I picked mine up for £3 over the Christmas sales, and have used it almost every day since then.

The SuperCat Carbon Black Extreme Eyeliner Pen retails for £6 usually, so I was pretty happy to grab mine in the sales for only £3. It’s probably about mid-range for a drugstore eyeliner. I’ve been so impressed by this liner for it’s dark, thick, opaque lines, and I love the felt tip for it’s precision and softness. You can tend to find that some of the cheaper options have quite stiff, almost sharp tips which aren’t very comfortable to use, but Soap and Glory’s offering is soft, delicate and thin. The tip tapers out so you can create a thicker, bolder line if you like. As for the staying power and strength of the pigments in the liner, they’re top notch! They’re better than the Maybelline and Rimmel liners that I’ve tried which are much more expensive. The line it delivers is such a crisp black, and stays for absolutely hours.

I absolutely love this liquid liner from Soap and Glory, and as I said, I’ve been rocking it pretty much every day since I’ve bought it. I love to shade my crease with a bronzer, then sweep a thin black line above my lashes for an effortless day time look. To take the look from day to night, I draw over the line again and thicken it out, and add a bold colour on my lips like MAC Morange for a classic glam look. Liquid eyeliners are so versatile and useful in every day makeup, so I would definitely recommend making the transition from kohl to liquid if you haven’t already! Have you tried SuperCat by Soap and Glory? What did you think?

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

As lipsticks go, MAC is arguably the best of the best. As for red lipsticks, MAC’s Russian Red has changed everything I thought I knew about a good red lip. I bought this for myself for Christmas and wrapped it up under the tree for myself to open (just to make sure I got something good! Ha) and I wore it to work that afternoon. Once I got over the hurdle of actually applying it, I was overwhelmed with how gorgeous a colour it is, and it’s made its way into my weekly makeup routine because I simply can’t go more than a week without wearing it. It is beautiful and I’m hooked.

This mate lipstick is £15.50 and I got mine from the MAC counter in Plymouth. I was offered the matching lip pencil and at the time, I said I’d be fine without it. I WAS WRONG! I’m regretting leaving it behind now, because I don’t actually have a true blood red lip pencil and this matte lipstick is extremely challenging to apply straight without a liner. It is a dry-ish lipstick, so it can drag along the lips and look weird if you’re not careful; it’s not creamy and smooth like the cremesheens. Rather, it’s intensely pigmented and unbelievably opaque, so once its on, it is on. Not much room for mistakes!

With this being said, it’s the most incredible rich, blood red. I adore how it contrasts with my pale winter skin and my blonde hair, and I always feel like snow white when I wear it. I usually pair it with a thick black flick for that Hollywood Glam look, or with a simple soft brown smokey eye for a subtle look. I am yet to create a really dramatic look with this lip colour, but I think that for my friend’s birthday party next weekend I’ll create something intense and bold. I’m obsessed with the richness, the vibrancy and the supple, kissable matte finish of the lipstick. I can’t recommend it enough!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

As many of you might know, I’ve got an unhealthy obsession with all things American Apparel and it causes a slightly tense relationship between me and my bank account! I recently placed an order for the Lulu Grid Print Crop in black and The Grid Print Lulu Mini Skirt in black. I’ve been drooling over this set for the longest time; I adore the cut of the Lulu top, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in shops before. I actually also really love the white set too, which I definitely plan on picking up at some point. For now though, the black set is perfect for winter. I’ve seen so many awesome grunge instagrammers who wear this set in black, too, and they style the pieces with such beautiful outfits.

AA Booth is a hashtag on twitter and instagram which features guys and girls in their American Apparel pieces on their Photo Booth app on their Macs. Now I’ve got a Mac I plan on doing these AA booths every now and again and showing off how I style my American Apparel bits. I hope you enjoyed this one!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Here’s a look a created for work a few days ago. Nothing exciting, nothing show stopping, but naturally pretty and understated. This is probably my current go-to makeup look recently, for days out shopping and going for food. It’s really easy to do and enhances my natural looks. I’m all for caking the makeup on, don’t get me wrong! But a lot of the time I’m loving going for these pretty natural makeup looks.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Make Up Store is a brand I first heard about through one of my favourite YouTubers Lauren Curtis. I immediately fell in love with the brand, but couldn’t visit the store as it is in London, and couldn’t place and order as they don’t yet have an online store. I recently discovered that BeautyBay stocks a selection of Make Up Store products, so naturally I placed a huge order for a massive haul!

Unfortunately I had to make a complete guess as to what shade I was in this foundation, and I’m gutted to say I got it quite wrong! I chose vanilla, as I’m vanilla in most other brands, but this foundation is just a shade or two too dark for my skin. I think I’ll be able to get away with it in summer, though, so there is hope yet! It’s a glorious consistency, with a fantastic coverage after you build it up, but it does take some blending out. This foundation is going to be perfect for nights out (where you can usually get away with heavy makeup in dim lighting) and special occasions where I need real staying power!

This blusher is a gorgeous colour, and when I ordered it it was a toss-up between this one or a peach one, but I’m really glad I chose this one. It’s a musky sort of pale rose colour which goes really well with my Laguna bronzer. The powder is fine and really easy to blend, and gives me such a natural looking pretty flush of colour.

Velvet is the slightly shimmering slatey brown with such delicately fine glitter which blends beautifully. I’ve used this a couple of times now, and it’s been perfect for nights out. It’s a really gorgeous shade and a little bit glamorous. Sophisticated is a really wearable every day shade; a beautiful taupe which I’ve been blending into my crease and finishing off with a winged liner for an every day glam look.

I’m so glad I got this mascara! I’d been well overdue a new one, and my last few have been drugstore products, so I felt like I wanted to splurge a bit on a more luxurious, higher end mascara. This one’s absolutely brilliant; lengthening, volumising and doesn’t make your lashes clumpy or stubby looking. The formula itself is a bit on the gloopy side, so a careful hand is needed or you’re in for a nightmare trying to wipe off the long lasting ebony black formula! I’m truly sold on this one, though, and I wear this every day for my daily go-to makeup!

Make Up Store Butterfly Bronzing Powder £0.00 Free Gift!

This bronzer was a free gift with the purchase as my order totalled over £50. I haven’t actually tried it yet apart from this swatch, because it does look a little bit shimmery and free-with-a-magazine-y. I tend to gravitate toward matte bronzing shades like Illamasqua Heliopolis, rather than quite shimmery alternatives. However, I think that this bronzer will get a lot of use over summer, where I can dust it over my face for a shimmering goddess glow!

The best product of the lot by far! This lipstick is beyond gorgeous, and I didn’t know when I ordered it what I was expecting. It’s a pale, pinky creamy nude shade which goes on sheer but can be built up. It’s quite a natural every day lipstick, and not too attention grabbing so it draws away from the eyes. For £12.50, it’s the cheapest and the best item I bought. Be warned, though, it’s not a good pairing with chapped lips, so keep a lip balm handy if you’re going to use this.

Saturday, February 14, 2015

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have already seen that I got an unconditional offer to UWE for Journalism! I’m so so so proud of myself, so excited and so happy that my life has finally sorted itself out. When I made the decision to move back to England from Australia, I wasn’t sure if I would ever get into university in England. It has always been something that has scared me, but now I can start planning my future starting with moving into my very own private studio flat in Bristol’s buzzing city centre!

My building is currently under construction, but after my visit to my new city I can see that it’s well on its way to being completed. Elliot and I are splitting the rent and costs 50/50, meaning he will commute down to Devon twice a week for his university course but be living in Bristol with me!

With all this being said, I’ve been doing a load of house decor research, and of course I’ve started a Pinterest board with loads of inspiration for interior decor. I’m loving shabby chic and country style decor, but the flat itself is going to be quite modern. I’m hoping to keep it pretty minimalistic, and I’ve decided on pale pastels and whites and greys for the colour scheme. If you do check out my Pinterest board, I hope you like it!

Friday, February 13, 2015

As a Body Shop worshipper, I always find myself adding things to my wishlist because their products are just so simple yet luxurious. I’ve always struggled with spottiness on my face, but I’ve also had to deal with spots on my chest, shoulders and back for most of my teenage years. They’re not too red or large, but they’re definitely there and they have always definitely bothered me.

The Tea Tree range at The Body Shop is renowned for its skin-clearing ability, and loads of my favourite bloggers have raved about how it can banish spots and soothe the skin. Luckily, I’ve already found my holy grail skincare products, which are the La Roche Posay Effaclar 3 Step Anti Blemish System, so I’ve not needed to try the facial skin care from the Body Shop. However, I’ve always wanted to sample them, so when I decided it was time to kick my bodily spots in the ass, I immediately went for this range.

I use mine in the shower on a loofah, and exfoliate the skin using circular motions and getting a huge bubbly lather going. It smells sort of industrial to me; I know there will be some of you who adore the smell of tea tree, but for me, its a bit smelly and reminds me of the head lice stuff we were attacked with as kids! Regardless of smell, I can’t deny how wonderful this body wash is! It definitely does what it says on the tin, which is to reduce spots, invigorate the skin and minimise redness. Combined with the exfoliating power of my loofah, this foamy bottle of miracles gives my skin such a run for it’s money and I can already see the redness of my spots minimising.

10/10 marks from me, and it’s the first proper skincare treatment I’ve actually tried to help cure my spotty skin. I’ve definitely added this to my daily skincare routine in a bid to banish my spots for good. For only £6 and easily available on the high street, it’s a must have product for those of us with impurities on our bodies!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

I was lucky enough to win a twitter competition with the lovely and wonderfully generous Paula from TheLDNDiaries! I’ve never won anything before and so when I discovered I had won a skincare item from the top of my Must-Try list, I was over the moon! They arrived about 2 days after Paula sent them to me, and naturally, I ripped open the package immediately and took photos for the blog before I could try them! #bbloggerproblems

First of all, I adore Nip + Fab’s packaging. There’s something about their logo with the ‘+’ sign (I don’t know, I get excited over weird things) and their minimalistic colour blocking style. This pot has a screw-top lid to keep your cleansing pads safe, and fits nicely in my skincare drawers. You get 60 of these circular little pads soaked in the ‘dragon’s blood’ per pack,. They usually retail for £9.95, which is a little on the steep side in my cheapskate opinion, and something I would have really needed to convince myself to buy. Having said that, now I’ve tried them, they’re definitely something I’d invest the tenner in again!

The pads themselves are ridged but soft cleansing pads “enriched with salicylic and hyaluronic acids which are designed to deeply cleanse pores and provide long-lasting hydration for skin that appears plumper.

Now, anti-ageing, plumping effects aren’t best tested on me, as luckily at 19 I’ve not got any real wrinkles to speak of and I feel like my skin is plump enough for now! However, I do feel like my skin feels instantly refreshed after using these, and I’ve definitely noticed a reduction in the frequency of spots on my skin.

I love to use these after I get in from a long shift at work. I simply remove my makeup using a cleansing wipe or micellar water, then use my Dragon’s Blood pad in circular motions to deeply cleanse. It’s a no-rinse deal, so I love it for laziness, and the results are clear!

Again, a huge thanks to Paula for her fab giveaway! It allowed me to discover a brand I’d been dying to try but hadn’t ever got round to purchasing! Have you tried Dragon’s Blood by Nip + Fab? If you’ve reviewed it, leave me a comment and I’d love to hear about your results!

Monday, February 9, 2015

“I should stop buying MAC lipsticks” said no girl ever, so naturally, when I was ambling through duty free (last year, late review!) I stopped to pick up one of these babies. I’m forever on the hunt for a not-too-subtle-but-not-too-vibrant pink lipstick, so when I asked the lovely lady on the MAC counter, she recommended Creme Cup over Please Me. I was immediately enamoured with the cool pink shade; it was love at first swatch!

It’s apparently a cremesheen, but I find it to be quite opaque and really hard-wearing. It’s creamy and smooth to apply, and doesn’t dry my lips out through the day. It’s one of the lip colours I chose over and over again when I had my pastel pink and purple hair, as I needed a lip colour that complimented the pale tones in my hair. It stays on like a dream and glides on evenly. It doesn’t need topping up for hours if I leave it alone, but after I’ve been eating or drinking, I do find I need to top it up a bit.

It's such a true pink shade; not too warm and not too cool. I find that I tend to gravitate towards peachy toned pinks, which really don't suit my skin tone, but this one is thankfully perfectly in the middle. I absolutely adore wearing this colour because I do get such a lot of compliments, and I think that this lipstick has made it into the Valentine's makeup shortlist because it's such a pretty, flirty pink!

I find this shade looks best with a subtle smokey brown eye and a winged liner, and although it doesn’t seem to stun other people with how bright a pink it is, I still feel like I don’t want to overload with the eye makeup and look OTT. This lippie is a dreamily creamy shade, and for the £15.50 price tag, I see why I can never leave a MAC counter alone! Creme Cup is a blogger favourite, and I’m no exception!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Even if if only was Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, Rimmel Powder and a line of cakey, white eyeshadow, it still needed to come off my face before getting into bed. I've always had a lot of bother with the cleanliness of my complexion, but obviously this didn't assist me in my fight against spots. I was far too much of a lazy teenager!

Invest in skincare

From the word go, my skin has always been something of an oil slick and even in my early teenage years, I needed a serious something to sort out my blemishes. In family pictures, I can see now the shiny patches of despair on my forehead and down my nose. Without a proper skincare routine, I can't see how I wondered why I was bogged down constantly with spots and redness.

Don't be white white bleach blonde

I blame my parents (ha!) for allowing me to start getting my hair bleached pure white from the age of thirteen! In all honesty, I begged and begged them, and at the time, I loved it. If the bleaching wasn't bad enough at the time, I also used £1 shop shampoo and conditioner, and straightened my hair three times a day too! On top of that, I looked washed out and pale, and insisted upon putting bright coloured neon plastic extensions in my hair. Kill me now!

Your neck is part of your face

Blend, blend, blend. I'm one of the guilty orange mask-wearers who didn't blend their Dream Matte Mousse (in too dark a shade) down their necks. I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but even so, nothing said make up rookie like a thick orange line along my jaw.

Avoid the emo/'scene'/witch phase

I'm sure MOST of us went through a particularly awkward phase where neon tiger print skinny jeans and thick kohl everywhere were the in-thing to do. Mine was especially hilarious, though, and my family loves teasing me about shutting myself in my room room listening to the heaviest metal music (which I don't even enjoy!) and casting spells! I fully immersed myself in the witchy lifestyle; black lace, tonnes of thick black eye makeup and concealer lips.

Wash your make up brushes

Ok, when I say 'brushes', I mean the one single powder brush I got free with a magazine and only used to cake Rimmel Stay Matte Powder all over my chops. This itchy little baby literally NEVER got washed ONCE and I used it religiously before school for about two years. The bacteria and gross germs that would have been hiding in there is too horrendous to think about, but no wonder I had the amount of spots I did!

Embrace the brace!

My teeth were so on the wonk before I had my braces, but literally the entire duration of having them on (only about two years) I continued to express my hatred for them. Every time I went to the dentist, I begged him to have them off, and refused to smile with my teeth in photos. Looking back now, my braces were the defining moment in my transformation from awkward teenager to someone I'm happy with.